I'd like to inform you all about a family-friendly rifle marksmanship effort which gives ladies and youth under 21 a price break.
It's Project Appleseed.
Basically, Appleseed visits ranges all over the country holding weekend clinics teaching people how to shoot a rifle. You'll learn how to take a steady position standing, sitting, and prone, how to use a sling and your own body structure to get into solid shooting positions.

Families are welcome, and we see many attending, sometimes three generations on the line at once.

Shooters learn how to fire off a shot "by the numbers"- we give you an easy to memorize recipe to take a well-aimed shot.

Shooting takes place at 25 meters. This might not sound like a very far distance, but the targets are scaled down as small as 4 minute of angle size, simulating a 400 meter target. Larger targets are used, too, in keeping with instruction topics and drills. And anyway, shooters don't want hike 400 yards every time they run a drill. The 25 meter course we have developed is rigorous, instructive and efficient.

Shooters learn how to adjust their sights, and how to read their target groups. If you look at them, they'll tell you what you're doing well, and also not so well.

Many people use 22 rifles set up with GI Garand or M1907 slings, and aperture sights. But really, any rifle you want to learn how to shoot is welcome, centerfires too. You'll need up to 250 rounds per shooter per day, which is why many choose 22s. If you don't have enough 22 rifles for your whole family, just sing out- there are usually several 22 rifles available for shooters to borrow, and if you request one while you sign up, or email the shoot organizer, and it's easier to ensure that one will be waiting. Just bring ammo. The loaner 22s are already set up with aperture sights and GI slings.

Safety is stressed at each event. Rifles are handled and loaded only under controlled conditions; at all other times rifles are unloaded, made safe, and have plastic safety flags placed in their chambers to assure safe status.

This isn't a match or a competition with the other shooters. Instead, it's a challenge for yourself to learn to shoot to 4 minutes of angle from field positions. That's a one-inch grouping at 25 meters.

At the end of each day, shooters fire an Army Qualification Test, trying for all they're worth to shoot an Expert score of 210 points or more. You do that, and we'll present you with a Rifleman patch. Plus, all shooters who shoot both days receive an Appleseed tee shirt.

Now here's the good part for ladies and youth- you'll only have to pay standard range fees to participate, for all of 2009. All other shooters pay range fees plus from $45 to $80 depending on whether they choose to shoot one day only or both days. By the way, elected officials and active duty military also pay range fees only.
That money is what's used to bring in the shoot staff and buy targets; Appleseed is a non profit 501c3 organization.
Sign up for an event, and see the schedule of all shoots nationwide here:

The clinic also includes some American Revolutionary War history, presented to the shooters by the instructors. We'll tell of the men, and women, and kids who made history the day our nation fired "the shot heard 'round the world" in the War for Independence. The bravery, sacrifice and love of Liberty recorded in history from 1775 is remembered, and awe-inspiring to hear, if I may say so. Some people are visibly moved and tear up.

Several women have signed on to the program as instructors. Most all of the instructors are former Appleseed "students" who are teaching others what they have learned, passing along riflery, part of Liberty's heritage, to the next generation.